Ultimate Fully Loaded Vegan Nachos with the most delicious vegan ground “beef” and nacho cheese! An easy and fun weeknight dinner or snack.
Nachos are perfect for those days that you just don’t know what to cook, and you want to eat something comforting and tasty. They can be thrown together quite fast, and if you keep around some simple pantry staples, you can always have a plate of vegan nachos ready when a craving strikes!
Nacho Bar
My kids love nachos for dinner! I like to keep all the ingredients separate, and then let everyone choose exactly what they want to top their nachos with.
We don’t always include all of these toppings, but the essentials are tortilla chips, nacho cheese and the taco “meat”. Some of our favorite toppings include:
- EASY vegan ground “beef” (recipe included below)
- Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce OR Nut Free Cheese Sauce, if needed
- Vegan Sour Cream
- Diced avocado or guacamole
- Diced tomatoes, or pico de gallo
- Sliced jalapeños, fresh or jarred
- Chopped cilantro (I can’t get enough cilantro on anything)
- Chopped green onions, or red onions
- Drained and rinsed black beans
- Salsa
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TVP ground “beef”
This stuff is amazing and so easy to make! TVP (textured vegetable protein) is a pantry staple I love having around, and I order it in bulk on Amazon. It’s cheap, high in protein and gluten free.
To turn dry TVP into ground “beef”, I simply add it to a pan with some water and soy sauce (tamari for gluten free) and cook until the water is absorbed. Next, add a little olive oil, a few spices and fry until crumbly and the mixture resembles ground beef. That’s it!
Vegan ground “beef” is also good in spaghetti sauce, in tacos or burritos. If you can’t have soy, or prefer a different option, you can make my Vegan Taco Meat out of cauliflower, mushrooms and walnuts instead. It’s really tasty, but definitely takes a bit more work.
Want more vegan Mexican inspired recipes?
- Vegetarian Cauliflower Fajitas
- Vegan Enchilada Casserole
- Cheesy Vegan Quesadillas
- Vegan Tacos with Tofu
- Jackfruit Carnitas
Ultimate Fully Loaded Vegan Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 16-oz bag tortilla chips
- 1 recipe Easy Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
TVP ground "beef"
- 1 cup dried TVP (textured vegetable protein)
- 4 cups water
- 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce *tamari for gluten free
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke, optional but good
- salt + pepper, to taste
Optional toppings, pick and choose what you like
- 1 recipe Vegan Sour Cream OR store bought
- 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2-3 tomatoes, diced or pico de gallo
- fresh jalapeños, fresh or jarred
- chopped green onions
- Salsa
- diced avocado or guacamole
- chopped cilantro
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Make a batch of Easy Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce. Warm on the stovetop, then set aside. You should whisk it again until smooth, adding water as needed to thin right before you drizzle it on the chips.
Prepare the TVP ground "beef"
- Add dried TVP, water and soy sauce to a medium pot. Cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat until the water is absorbed.
- Now add olive oil, spices and salt to taste, frying over medium heat until it resembles ground beef. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Assemble the nachos
- Drain and rinse the black beans and prepare all the rest of the optional ingredients you wish to use.
- Arrange the tortilla chips on a large platter (or on individual plates if serving as a meal). Add toppings in this order, or any you prefer: Taco "meat", nacho cheese sauce, sprinkle of black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos, onions, salsa/hot sauce and then vegan sour cream and/or avocado/guacamole. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- Nut Free Nachos: Instead of my cashew based cheese sauce, use Nut Free Cheese Sauce. Leave out the homemade sour cream, or use store bought vegan sour cream instead.
- You can substitute my Vegan Taco Meat made out of vegetables if you prefer instead of the TVP ground "beef".
- Nachos are best eaten immediately and do not save well. You can however, keep the toppings prepared separately in the refrigerator for a few days.
Nutrition
*This recipe was first posted in October 2018 and has been republished with new photos and the TVP ground beef is a new addition. Thank you!
Can you use impossible burger instead of TVP?
Absolutely!
Check the water to Tvp ratio on the pkg of Tvp. The recipe has about double the water needed to properly hydrate the tvp
So good! My husband and I had it as a light dinner and the flavours worked beautifully although it hardly took much effort to put together 😊
Hi Emily! I’m glad you found the nachos easy and delicious! Thanks for your wonderful review!
This recipe has had the ability to win my 72 year old father over to the point that he’s out trying to find the nearest Mexican restaurant. It is DELICIOUS! It’s a regular @ my house. The sauce is delicious and easy to prepare. My topping of choice is ALWAYS black beans, avocado, and tomatoes. This is a must try. You won’t be disappointed 🥰
How thrilling you guys are loving the nachos! Thanks for taking time to share your awesome feedback and review! Happy cooking!
Can I use nutritional yeast in place of the TVP? Can’t seem to find any in the Bonnie’s.
No, the two are completely different I’m afraid (TVP is a soy-based meat alternative and nutritional yeast is a dry seasoning). I recommend using my Vegan Taco Meat or tofu taco meat instead. Hope this helps!
Hi Nora, I want to try this recipe but just wanted to make sure about the amount of water. I’ve normally rehydrated TVP with about a 1 to 1 ratio and this recipe calls for 4 cups of water to the 1 cup of TVP. Do you cook it down until it absorbs the extra water?
Everything I’ve made from your website has been so delicious! Thank you for all your recipe posts!
Hi Claire. It seems like a lot of water but boiling the TVP and water/soy sauce on high will help the TVP absorb all of the liquid. Hope this helps!
Thank you Nora for this fabulous recipe. My husband says it’s the best vegan nachos he’s ever had. And believe me he has tried plenty!
Have a wonderful New Year. Looking forward to trying many more of your recipes.
You are welcome, Tama! I’m glad the nachos are a hit for you guys! Thank you for sharing your fabulous feedback!